its essentialist ‘voice’ (Twiss and Conser 1992), it is possible for a researcher
to establish the central thrust or heart of religion. Writing from South Africa,
Prozesky (1984) maintains that “health and well-being” is the major focus of
religion. He reaches this conclusion after an overview of the central beliefs of
the numerous religions of the world. A Tanzanian theologian, Laurenti Magesa
(1997), identifies the quest for abundant life as the core concern of African
Religion (his preferred term for ATRs). Such exercises in the phenomenological
ideal of performing the eidetic intuition are often marginalized in theoretical
formulations about religion in Europe and North America.
A major idea emerging from religious studies in Africa is that the study of
religion necessarily requires a multidisciplinary approach. Although the
phenomenological approach has been popular, especially in the study of ATRs
(Chitando 2005a), African scholars have utilized various approaches. The study
of religions has embraced historical, sociological, psychological, and other
approaches. Scholars such as Olupona, Prozesky, and others have refrained
from imposing one specific approach. This is due to the contention that religion
is a complex phenomenon. Consequently, no single approach will do justice
to it. Where religious studies abroad has witnessed boundary wars, in Africa
the tendency has been to acknowledge that certain aspects of religion call for
specific approaches. The diverse approaches to the study of religion have been
regarded as complementary rather than antagonistic.
I should emphasize that although African scholars have come up with some
creative methodological proposals, very few African scholars have built careers
around methodological reflection. The abundance of religious material in
Africa has meant that more time is spent actually studying religion than
proposing how religion should be studied. This is not to imply that metho-
dological reflections in religious studies are of little value. It is only to indicate
that methodological reflections have been subordinated to fieldwork. At the
same time, it should be acknowledged that methodological problems continue
to dog the study of ATRs (Adogbo 2005).
The study of religions in Africa has not been limited to ATRs. African
scholars have provided valuable material on the various religions that are found
on the continent. Such studies include overviews of the religions found in
particular countries, such as Peter Kasenene’s (1993) description of religion in
Swaziland. Scholars of religion in South Africa have also offered detailed
accounts of the religious situation in that country (Prozesky and De Gruchy
1995). Studies such as these have shown that the religious scene in sub-Saharan
Africa is characterized by radical pluralism. Other immigrant religions found
in sub-Saharan Africa include Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, the Parsee religion,
Jainism, Chinese religion, Buddhism, the new esoteric religions, the Baha’i
religion and African American religions (Platvoet 1996:50). However, there
are very few studies that actually focus on these immigrant religions in sub-
Saharan Africa.
1111
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1011
1
2
3111
4 5 6 7 8 9
20111
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
30111
1
2
3
4
35
6
7
8
9
40111
42222
3
411
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
111
